Barton Surgery

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Barton Surgery is a Veteran Friendly GP Practice

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Armed Forces veteran friendly accredited GP Practice!

If you are an armed forces veteran please let us know.

This means that, as part of the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, we have a dedicated clinician who has a specialist knowledge of military related health conditions and veteran specific health services. This is important in helping ex-forces personnel to get the best care and treatment.

What is a veteran?

A veteran is someone who has served in the British Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) for at least one day. Veterans also include any member of the Merchant Marine who has served in a war zone. This includes crew from convoys in World War 2 and more recently in the Falklands conflict and Gulf Wars.

There are around 4.5m veterans in the UK. About 18,000 service people move back into civilian life every year and whilst most of these individuals have similar levels of health to the general population, around 2,000 leave on medical grounds. The top reasons for medical discharge are for issues relating to back, knees, mental health and hearing.

What does this mean for me?

When servicemen and women leave the armed forces, their healthcare is the responsibility of the NHS. All veterans are entitled to priority access to NHS care for any condition as long as it’s related to their service, regardless of whether or not they receive a war pension. Veterans are encouraged to tell their GP about their veteran status in order to benefit from priority treatment if appropriate. Health related issues for veterans can manifest in a number of ways.

Healthcare for the armed forces community

Veterans’ mental health services

This is a dedicated out-patient service for serving personnel approaching discharge from the Armed Forces and veterans who are experiencing mental health difficulties. The TILS provides a range of treatment, from recognising the early signs of mental health problems and providing access to early support, to therapeutic treatment for complex mental health difficulties and psychological trauma. Help may also be provided with housing, employment, alcohol misuse and social support.

The service comprises three elements:

Transition: service for those in transition, leaving the armed forces
The service works with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to offer mental health support for Armed Forces personnel approaching discharge.

Intervention: service for veterans with complex presentation
Service personnel approaching discharge and veterans will have an assessment within two weeks of a receipt of referral. Where appropriate, the TILS will aim to see patients two weeks after this. This will be with a clinician who has an expert understanding of Armed Forces life and culture. They may also be supported by a care coordinator who will liaise with other services and organisations to ensure a coordinated approach to their care.

Liaison: general service for veterans
Intervention: service for veterans with complex presentation Patients who do not have complex presentations, yet would benefit from NHS care, will be referred into local mainstream NHS mental health services where they will receive treatment and support. If an assessment finds that an individual has significant mental health difficulties that are service related and have not improved with previous treatment, they will be referred to their local CTS.

There are a number of charities and organisations that provide support to veterans and their families, some of these are:

For families